Before It's Too Late
by YuNique337
Summary: Mai realizes her love for Yami at the same time Joey realizes his love for Mai. Love Triangle! How will Yami and Joey's friendship last? New-Yami B. in a towel and power outages in Domino- R
1. Default Chapter

Hey! I've been trying to think of another angst fic to write for a while and this one finally popped into my head- ever since I started reading Yu-gi-oh fanfic I noticed that the most popular couples were yaoi couples and Yami/Yugi and Tea- I have nothing against those- in fact Yugi/Yami/Seto is one of my favs lol- but I decided to try out a less-used couple- Yami/Mai. I know a lot of you may think they have nothing alike but I'm going to try my best to make them seem right for eachother and justify the way Mai acts lol- in this fic she's definately going to be less materialistic. But the angst comes in w/ Joey- he's gonna be the third wheel:-P sorry Joey, who just happens to like Mai as well-I hope u enjoy- please R&R!! No flames-I'm just trying this out to see how it does:-)  
  
Disclaimer: The day pigs fly is the day I own Yu-gi-oh.   
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
"I play Harpy Lady in defense mode." Her taunting tone was edged with a hint of smugness. "Your move."  
  
Mai sat back slighty in her chair, eyeing her opponant with keen eyes of purple. She studied her opponants emotionless face and crimson eyes. Yami sat across from her, looking through his hand, calculating unknown schemes in his mind. That intelliagent mind. Mai smiled inwardly. Even when the duel was not official, he took it seriously. She liked that.   
  
Yami was busy contemplating his next move when he heard Joey whisper to Yugi who sat beside him. Yugi smiled and nodded. 'Mental note,' thought Yami, 'ask what's so funny.' Right now he had to keep focused. His arrogant opponant grinned when he glanced up. His plan was complete.   
  
"I play this card face down, and I'll play Curse of Dragon in attack. I think that's the end of your Harpy Lady."   
  
Mai sighed. "Is it?" Flipping over the trap she had laid down, she smirked. Mirror Wall. Yami copied her sigh. This duel would last longer than he thought.  
***  
Yugi was skimming through a new manga that he had fetched from his room, and had his legs propped up on the counter. The duel still wasn't over between his dark and the blonde which sat opposite him. They had been playing for a good thirty or forty minutes in the Game Shop. The shop was still open, but it was dark outside and less and less people were strolling by the windows. No more little kids peering in and pointing with unrestrained excitment. It was now quiet as Yami gazed down at his hand. Yugi would look up occasionally from the manga to watch the two, since he had a good view of both hands. The desire to tell the two duelists what the other had was very great but he kept his silence and continued reading. It took another minute before the silence was broken.Yami slapped a card on the table. "There."   
  
Mai looked down at the card and shrugged. "Alright, you win."   
  
Yami stood and stretched. His muscles ached from sitting so long and it was a relief to stand again. Mai stood as well and gathered up her cards.   
  
"Wait!" Joey was staring at the remaining cards with rapt attention. "Yami, how did you beat her? I don't understand..."  
  
"Joey, even if he told you you wouldn't understand," Yugi wise-cracked from the counter.  
  
Joey smiled. It was probably the truth. Mai slid her deck into her purse and turned to leave, touching the top of Yugi's manga to make him look up. He waved and wished her goodnight. She came by regularly now, always to duel Yami. Yugi didn't mind, he liked seeing duels even if they weren't computer simulated, but the fact that Yami always beat her made him wonder why she always came back for more. And whenever Mai came, Joey came. It was a known fact between Yami and Yugi that Joey had the hots for Mai. He had openly admitted it to Yugi outside the game shop one morning while they waited for her to arrive. But neither knew the true extent of Joey's "crush" on the blonde. That was something they hadn't yet seen.   
  
Joey watched her leave, watched her wave to Yami in turn and comment on how she would beat him next time, watched her flip her hair over her shoulders like she always did, watched her walk gracefully out of the shop. He felt a slight pang of sadness at the fact that she hadn't said goodbye to him, but then realized that she had stopped and was peering with an amused expression through the glass. 'Is she looking at ME?' thought Joey, slightly blushing. Mai peeked her head back into the doorway.   
  
"What, Joey, did you honestly think I was going to leave without saying goodbye?"   
  
"Haha, no?" Joey's heartbeat raced. A mere joke, a mere sentence from her made him tingle.  
  
"Well, goodbye, I'll probably see you tomorrow." Mai winked at him and he felt the blood run into his face. Smiling like an idiot he waved and then glanced at the ground to hide his embarrasment. 'If only I could tell her how I feel...'   
  
Yami followed Mai with his crimson eyes around the corner of the gameshop and then flicked them back to the two boys who remained. He had a small smile on his face that only Yugi noticed, peeking over the top of the comic. Yami saw him, and moving around the counter he pulled the manga from Yugi and hit him off the head with it.   
  
"Time to close up. Joey, are you staying for the night? You can if you want, even if Yugi's grandfather is away, right Yugi?"  
  
"Of course!" Yugi pulled his legs off the counter and hopped off the stool he was sitting on. Taking down the "open" sign he turned to face Joey.  
  
"Well?"   
  
Joey was still deep in thought, looking at the ground.  
  
"Well??? Joey?"  
  
The blonde looked up, dazed. "Sorry, I was thinking about that play," he lied.  
  
Yami laughed from behind Joey, making him jump.   
  
"It wasn't that special."  
  
Joey chuckled, half-heartedly. 'If I could play a move like that, Mai would actually be surprised...whereas when YAMI here makes it...'  
  
Yugi patiently nudged him. "You ok?"  
  
"Fine!" Joey stood up and rubbed the nape of his neck. "I'm gonna go home, I think. I'm a little tired, but playing hours of video games and reading manga does sound pretty good."  
  
"Well, you're welcome to stay anytime." Yugi smiled, that big, radiant, white smile that could cut through any darkess. Including his. Yami pulled open the door and the little bell rang cheerfully. Joey slowly made his way out, waving to both of them and then disappearing into the growing dusk. As soon as he was gone, Yami flipped the lock, grabbed his deck and made his way back over to Yugi.  
  
"Come on, lets go upstairs." The little Hikari picked his manga up off the counter and followed his taller half up the stairs, flipping the lights as he ascended.  
**  
Joey walked quickly, for the night brought cold nipping at it's heels. Already, Joey could feel a chill through his jacket. But that wasn't the only chill. Memories flooded back to him from the last few hours. Spending time with Mai, and of course, Yami and Yugi, was always a treat. But seeing Mai, watching her graceful, cat-like movements, put him on cloud-nine...until he realized he couldn't have her. Ever since Duelist Kingdom, she was a different person. Not looks wise, but personality wise. She was kinder, less materialistic, gentler and sweeter but still beautiful. She would always be beautiful. The only problem was that Joey didn't have the guts to say it to her. He had felt sparks fly between them, even in Dueist Kingdom, but could he have been imagining it? That thought made him sink into a pit of despair, for the third time on his stroll home. His emotions would reach a peak of complete and utter happiness, and then fall into a ditch of doubt, self resentment and sadness. Joey felt his fists tighten and his nails dug into the soft skin of his palms. 'Why can't I be braver? Why can't she love me like I love her?' Yugi, and most likely Yami, knew only of his "like" of Mai. But they didn't know how much he truly cared for her. Now that she had grown to be less shallow, she was a different person, despite the fact that she still carried around that arrogant facade when she dueled, ESPECIALLY when she dueled Yugi's darker half. Joey knew it was only a mask. It had to be. He remembered the night he had talked with her, after duelist kingdom, DIRECTLY after, when she had told him that she FELT she had changed. The way he had dueled for his sister, and the way Yugi had dueled for his grandfather had touched her. So it must have just been a mask that she kept on around Yami. She still felt the need to prove herself to him, probably...Joey ran over everything in his head, twice, three times...the main topic of his love for her branching into smaller topics and those branching still until he didn't remember what he was thinking about originally. While his mind worked, his feet worked as well, and soon, he was home.  
***  
  
"Boring...boring....BORING...." Yugi flipped through the channels with his eyes half close and his back slumped up against the headboard of the bed. Yami was in the bathroom, brushing his teeth.   
  
"Aibou, it can't be that bad. Are you telling me that out of a hundred something channels you can't find one to amuse you? In my day we kept ourselves busy with a gameboard and few different colored rocks."   
  
Yami emerged from the bathroom wearing a white collared shirt and a pair of black boxers. He walked over to the bed and folded his other clothes, placing them in a neat pile on a chair in the corner of Yugi's room. Yugi watched him dazedly.  
  
"In your day...I would have gone insane." Yami snorted.   
  
"The Pharaohs had the most pressing job."  
  
"What's so hard about being fanned and fed grapes?"  
  
Yami ran a hand through his hair, sighing.  
  
"Do you REALLY think that's what life was like?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"I had lots of business to care to, countries to defend, people to make happy-"  
  
"Did you have highschool?"  
  
"Well, no...I had a tutor."  
  
"Highschool is harder. Trust me. I'd take being a Pharaoh any day."  
  
Yami sat next to his light on the bed. There was some things he would never understand about him. This "highschool" couldn't be THAT bad. Could it? Yugi turned to him and gave the Pharaoh the remote. Yami looked down at it and then tossed it over his shoulder.   
"Hey!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Why'd you throw the remote?"  
  
Yugi looked at his Yami confused.  
  
"I dunno, it slipped. Why don't you get it?"  
  
Yugi kept his eye on him warily, completely confused, and hopped off the bed. Just then Yami stuck his foot out and Yugi tripped over it, landing on the ground.  
  
"Ow!!!! Ow, ow ow....." He kept his head down, pretending to cry.  
  
"Aibou! I'm sorry I only meant it as a joke!" Yami got up quickly, his expression completely changing to "guardian mode" and knelt down to help him. Yugi then looked up at Yami, tear free, smiled devilishly and tackled him against the bed.   
  
"Ahh!" Yami was pushed back as he realized that Yugi wasn't hurt at all.  
  
"You're too protective for your own good."   
  
Yugi jumped off his dark and leapt onto the bed. Yami followed, narrowing his eyes and smiling. He backed Yugi up slowly to the edge of the bed, before grabbing a pillow from under the quilt and batting him off the head with it. Yugi laughed and followed suit, grabbing the other one and whacking him back. The force of his attack knocked him backwards off the bed and he landed hard, looking around. Then he got back up and whacked the Pharaoh in the stomach, wrenching away _his_ pillow in the process. Standing up to his full but short height on the bed, he raised the pillows above his head and pounded his chest with them, shouting, "I AM THE GAME KING!"  
  
Yami looked up and laughed. His aibou could be so cute. But he was the only game king. Pulling his legs out from under his Hikari he got out of the way as Yugi fell on his face into the quilt, giggling. Out of breath, they both leaned against the headboard.  
  
"Are you still bored?"  
  
"Nope," Yugi smiled happily. Both of them breathed in silence for a bit before Yami saw his aibou's eyes begin to droop, just a little. Pulling him over he leaned him against his body and felt Yugi's heavy head rest on his shoulder. The little Hikari yawned.   
  
"Goodnight, Yami."  
  
"Goodnight. And by the way," he turned his head and whispered into Yugi's ear, "I'm the game king now."  
  
Yugi smiled and his head slid onto Yami's chest. Sleep slowly claimed him and he fell quiet to the sound of his dark's heartbeat.   
********  
When Mai switched the hairdryer off she was stunned by the silence of the room. It was one o'clock and she had been up late showering, blow-drying her hair and watching corny romance flicks by herself. She was such a sucker for those things. Drawing the shades closed she dawned a white tanktop and a pair of cotten shorts and climbed into bed. Even if she did consider herself highly fashionable, she didn't feel any need to dress up at night. It wasn't as if she was going to see anyone. Sighing, she pulled the silken sheets up to her neck and switched off the light. In the darkness, everything was amplified. The silence grated at Mai's nerves and she uneasily switched her position, trying desperately to not think of the thing that she wanted to think of most. Not a thing, a person. A certain Yami. As soon as that name crept into her mind, everything came in a flood.  
  
His face.  
  
His sleek shape.  
  
Those beautiful eyes...  
  
She liked everything about him. Especially the way he acted. Reserved, but under it all she could just feel the emotions bubbling up. She could tell everything he was feeling. It was all in the eyes. How much he cared for Yugi, how much he cared for his friends. And the way he dueled, walked, spoke...   
  
Silently the blond cursed herself. She had sworn that she wouldn't fall for anyone who just happened to act nice. Not after all the experiences she had. In the pitch black of the apartment, Mai had let down her guard and she couldn't stand it. Could she really love him?  
***  
Joey stood outside the gameshop, hands in his pockets, cool wind blowing by and rustling his mop of hair. Just then he saw what he had hoped to see, come striding down the street towards him, her locks of gold flowing in the slight breeze. Mai stopped in front of him and flipped her mane over her right shoulder. Taking his chin in her slender hand she planted a firm kiss on his lips before pulling back and looking deep into those dark shaded eyes.   
"Joey Wheeler, I love you."  
  
Joey's eyes fluttered open. The smile on his face placed there by the pleasant dream was quickly replaced by a frown as he realized that he was in his bed, in the dark. It was just a dream, afterall. Sitting up groggily he glanced at the red numbers on his clock- 2:10. Frustrated with himself, and wishing that the dream had been a reality, he flipped onto his back and stared at the dots on the ceiling. It was useless trying to fall back asleep. Positively useless. Mai was on his mind now and she took priority even over sleep.   
  
Rolling onto his side he let his thoughts take over. Why did he have to be so shy? Or so...so...He didn't know what it was but whatever you called it he didn't have it. Mai would never love him. He just wasn't right for her. Mai deserved someone, better. Joey closed his eyes tightly and mentally beat himself for being like he was. All he wanted was for her to love him because he loved her so much. He wanted to be the one that she would throw her arms around when she cried and he wanted to be the one that she would look at lovingly.   
  
One single tear found it's way between his tightly closed lashes and slid down his face. He opened his eyes and blinked a few times. Stop it Joey, you're just being stupid. Move on. She'll never like you. That taunting voice in his head was always ragging on him. But somehow, he knew it was the voice of reality. That was the truth in things. He would just have to accept it. He was nothing.  
  
  
*~*~*  
So that's it! Poor Joey! Was it good or bad? If you have suggestions feel free to tell me, I'm not promising to work anything into the plot tho but I'd love to hear them:-) R&R!   
  
+YuNique+ 


	2. The Game King's Weakness

New chappie! I want to thank everyone for the nice reviews, and Sayuri-san I'd love to be in ur contest! :-D Anyway...this chapter didn't take me too long to write...but I'm sure the next one will...lots of angst. So enjoy, and please R&R!  
  
  
***  
  
Yugi slowly and tediously traced the outline of the Chaos Soldier on a peice of paper. The afternoon sun streamed in through the window. Sitting at his desk with his back to the room he was concentrating hard until a hand found it's way to his shoulder. Startled, he jumped and whirled around.   
  
  
"Heh, sorry to scare you. I'm gonna get outta' here soon. Are you _sure_ you can stay?"  
  
  
"Yes, I'm sure!"   
  
  
"Alright." Yami started to turn around, when he stopped and sheepishly faced Yugi again.   
  
  
"Um, do I look ok?" He had a slight blush and Yugi knew that he would never hear that question come out of his dark's mouth again. Yami was just leaving to meet Mai in a coffee shop downtown and "talk" about Duel Monsters. It was all the blonde's idea.   
  
  
Yugi knew it had to happen sooner or later.  
  
  
And just because he was little didn't mean that he had no clue as to what was going on. He had guessed to himself a long time ago that Mai liked Yami but he hadn't said it. But the question was, did Yami like Mai?  
  
  
Yugi looked Yami up and down. What he was wearing was very different from the royal blue uniform in Yugi's school and it gave him a casual attitude which Yugi kinda liked. The ex-Pharaoh wore a plain white shirt under a collared, longsleeve, navy button-down with baggy khaki pants and brown boots. The golden Millenium Puzzle hanging around his neck made the outfit seem even better and classier. His hair was the same as always but Yugi could smell a faint hint of cologne.   
To answer his question...  
  
"Yeah, Mai will love ya. Where'd you get the money to buy all this?"  
  
  
"Well I don't think you'd believe me If I told you..."  
  
  
Yugi laughed. He'd seen so much already, soul stealing, kidnapping, fights, everything. "Trust me, Yami, nothing would surprise me."  
  
  
"Well then, Kaiba gave me the money."  
  
  
"WHAT?! But you guys hate eachother!"   
  
  
"I thought you said it wouldn't surprise you?"  
  
  
"I lied."  
  
  
Now it was Yami's turn to laugh.  
  
"Well, early this morning he called the gameshop about some new card sets that were coming in and yes, he wasn't happy to talk to me, but you were out of the room for a minute and Mai had just asked me an hour ago to go out...so...I mentioned the date to him and he asked if I needed help in the clothing department."   
  
  
"Wow, I never knew Kaiba would do something like that for you."  
  
"Yeah, neither did I. He even went to the mall and picked out everything! You weren't even awake when he dropped them off. When I asked him why he wanted to help me he just said that when it comes to women, all men are friends."  
  
  
Yugi cracked a smile. Kaiba was full of surprises.   
  
"Well, have fun. And behave."  
  
  
"Very funny, aibou. I'll see you in a few hours."  
  
  
With that, Yami left the room and started his journey to the coffee shop.  
  
  
***  
  
Mai sat uneasily in her chair, looking out the windows of the coffee shop and tapping her fingers on the tabletop. Unconsiously she pulled at the petal of a little crimson flower nestled in a thin vase in the middle of the table. Outside, the afternoon was getting warmer and the sun shone in nicely through the glass. Mai glanced at the door for the hundreth time and smoothed out her shirt.   
  
[Why am I so nervous? Honestly, it's not like this is a blind date.]   
  
The door opened to the shop and Mai held her breath expectantly, hoping to see the dark youth but instead, a frazzled looking lady walked in and pushed by a couple in the line.   
  
Mai sighed and played with her hair. If he stood her up, he would never forget it. But she knew she couldn't be mad at him.  
  
***  
  
[Must get to shop on time, must get to shop on time, must get to shop on time, Mai, must get to shop on time, is Yugi ok? Must get to shop on time, Do I still look ok? Must get to shop on time]   
  
Millions of thoughts ran through Yami's head at the speed of light as he walked quickly up the sidewalk to the little bistro. Everyone on the sides of him were just an obstacle he had to get by in order to get to Mai.   
  
[Wait a second, why do I want to get to Mai this quickly anyway?]  
  
Yami stopped and stared at the pavement.   
  
[I can't like her.]  
  
The Pharaoh's heart told him to like her but his mind warned him otherwise. He had duties to take care of Yugi and the Millenium Puzzle. To love, or like, was to be distracted. So he couldn't get into this. It wasn't meant to be.  
  
In Egypt, long ago, marriage was required but he had never truly desired it. Luckily enough, he didn't have time to marry before he was sealed away forever in the Millenium Puzzle. The preists had chosen some princess Shalta from Gaul for him to marry. And he, obviously, didn't love her. He had never even met her. But somehow, Yami knew that even if he DID love someone enough to get married, it would never happen. Liking Mai was hopeless.   
  
He turned on his heel. Away from the bistro.   
  
Only to be face to face with a young woman, dressed in street clothes and holding out a bucket of roses.  
  
"Hey, going somewhere?"  
  
Yami looked at the girl inquistively.  
  
"I didn't mean to bother you but you looked kinda...um...sad. But by the way you were walking, I'd say you were in a hurry to get somewhere."  
  
"Yes, I was..."  
  
"That's what I thought. You look nice. Is it a date?"  
  
The dark knew where THIS was going. She was going to guilt him into buying a rose.   
  
"It WAS a date."  
  
"Ohh...I'm sorry. I wasn't going to bug you into buying a flower, if that's what you were thinking. You just seemed pretty sad about something so I had to stop and ask. I hate it when people are upset."  
  
Yami shuffled uneasily. Why was he opening up to a stranger? If he just thanked her and moved on, he wouldn't think twice about Mai. The girl was trying to help but if he started to talk it out he might change his mind.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Yami drew in his breath, but before he knew it the words had jumped from his mouth.   
  
"I was just upset about the girl that I was going to see. I don't know if it'll work out."   
  
His mind cursed him in Egyptian.   
  
"You know, I had the same problem. But I winged it. Some things are and somethings just aren't meant to happen. You just have to try it out and see. So how bout it? I'll give you a free rose, on the house and you can go to wherever you were going and give it to that someone and remember what I said."  
  
The Pharaoh smiled and took the rose that she held out in her hand. It glistened with drops of water from the bucket. For some crazy reason, she made sense.   
  
"Thanks again. I guess you're right, I just gotta try."  
  
The girl returned his smile and then went back to roaming the street and looking for potential buyers.   
  
Yami twirled the stem of the rose in his fingers and watched her go. It was like a wrestling match had just gone on between his heart and his mind and his heart had just given his mind a smackdown. His mind was shouting things at him about how easily he gave in but his heart was singing. Give Mai a chance. Give it a chance.  
  
****  
  
Mai's eyes shot up quickly when she felt a breeze blow in from the open door of the coffee bistro. She was finally rewarded with the sight of Yami, standing in the doorway and gazing around. Smiling nervously, she straightened out the wrinkles in her shirt, breathed into her hand and then waved him over.   
  
[Just be normal.]   
  
That was the mantra which cruised quickly through both Yami and Mai's heads as they neared eachother.   
  
Mai got out of her seat, and looked him up and down. Her mouth fell open a little. He looked so HOTT. Smiling she cleared her throat and sheepishly said "hi."  
  
  
Yami stood staring at her as well. She was wearing a lowcut, frilly, baby blue top and a pair of blue jeans. Even though it wasn't overly fancy, Yami was temporarily paralyzed. Then, snapping out of it, he quickly made up for his lapse by giving her a warm hug, before they both sat down and ordered. Then, the silence was to come.  
  
The blonde looked across the table, past the flowers, straight into his eyes. She couldn't help but notice that the flowers matched them.   
  
Yami then remembered the rose and drew it out from under the table. She had missed seeing it, somehow.   
  
"This is for you."   
  
He smiled warmly and Mai nearly fainted. Handing the rose across the table she took it and laughed, that sarcastic, confident laugh.  
  
"You shouldn't have."  
  
Inside, she was all smiles. The duelist placed the rose in her purse and turned to face him.  
  
"So Yami...about those duel monsters plays...you gotta teach me some stuff."   
  
They had to start somewhere. Mai waited expectantly, slowly relaxing into the situation.  
  
Yami, on the other hand, was on pins and needles. Taking three mental breaths, he   
spoke.  
  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"I dunno. How do you always know what people will play?"  
  
  
"I don't always know. But sometimes, you just have to think like them. Be them."  
  
"Alright, pretend you're me. What am I thinking right now?"  
  
The Pharaoh started to relax as well.   
  
"I'm thinking that I look beautiful this afternoon, because I do."  
  
Mai blushed, but quickly recovered.   
  
"Let's forget duel monsters."  
  
"All if forgotten."  
  
The two smiled at eachother from across the table.  
  
[This date won't turn out so bad afterall.]  
  
***  
  
It was 7 o'clock. Yugi flipped through the booster packs in his hand, drew out two and handed them across the counter to the customer waiting. The man smiled, handed over the money and walked out into the night, already beginning to open the packs.   
  
Just behind him Yugi saw a familiar face. He was excited for a minute and then his stomach knotted horribly. He suddenly remembered where Yami was. With Mai.   
  
"Crap, crap, crap..." Yugi looked down at the counter and became very interested in a scratch in the wood.   
  
"Hey Yuge!"   
  
Joey walked up and slapped his hands down on the counter.  
  
"What's up?"  
  
Yugi felt absolutely sick. He didn't know how he would tell Joey if he asked where Yami was. But then again, Joey didn't like Mai _that_ much, did he?  
  
"Hey there, Joey!"  
  
"I jest came by to duel. I figured Mai would come by later anyway."  
  
Joey laughed lightly and scratched the back of his neck. Yugi swallowed hard.  
  
"Oh! Well, um...she's not here yet but I'm sure she will be soon."  
  
"How about Yami?"  
  
That was the question that Yugi feared the most. He didn't wanna lie to Joey but he also didn't want to tell him straight out.   
  
"Well actually...he's out-"  
  
Yugi didn't have to finish his sentence. Outside the shop he heard talking, two familiar voices. His eyes grew wide. This wasn't good.  
  
***  
"I had a nice time tonight...well...afternoon and night."  
  
Mai let go of Yami's hand and turned to face him. He looked at her and marveled at how lovely she looked, even in the dark, where the starlight reflected in her eyes like tiny fireflies. Above their heads, the moon was only a crescent and it shined dimly.  
  
"So did I. You know, I was a little nervous. I'll admit it."  
  
"So was I. Wait a second, the Game King? Nervous? I thought you were a pro at every game. Even the dating game," Mai teased.  
  
Yami adjusted his buttondown and looked down at the ground sheepishly.  
  
"I guess I just forgot the rules."  
  
Mai laughed. Neither had even looked towards the gameshop yet. They were still completely oblivious to the world outside eachother.   
  
"Well, are you gonna come in and duel for a little?" Yami asked warmly. He couldn't see either Joey or Yugi from where he was standing.  
  
The blonde smiled.   
"Of course. I can never pass up a good duel."  
  
"Alright, let's go."  
  
Yami started to walk away when Mai caught his hand. Turning slowly he was met by her lips, which she pressed lightly against his own. For a second he was stunned and then his eyes gradually fluttered closed as he kissed her back. Soon he was embracing her as they kissed and both were in heaven, Mai marvelling at what a good kisser he was and how good he tasted. Almost like spices which left her lips on fire. And to him, she tasted like sweet sugar. Soon, they broke the kiss and he met her eyes.  
  
"I was hoping that would happen tonight."   
  
"I was tired of waiting." Mai hugged him tighter and smiled. His strong arms were like a warm barrier around her. This was right where she wanted to be. Even if she was doing what she had warned herself about before, it felt good.  
Yami nestled his face in her hair. Even if he was doing what he had warned himself about before, it felt good.  
  
***  
  
Yugi's heart was in his feet. He stared outside. Even though he couldn't see them, he knew they had kissed. He had heard every word they said. And so did Joey. The look on his face was one of pure devastation.   
  
"Joey, I, I..."  
  
"No, don't say it Yuge. Don't tell me you're sorry."  
  
"But I am."  
  
"You shouldn't be."  
  
Just then Yami and Mai walked in, holding hands. When Yami saw Joey he immediately dropped her hand and his face took on a look of panic.  
  
"Hi, Yami. Hey Mai."  
  
"Hi Joey!" Mai, of course, was clueless. Clueless that Joey liked her and clueless as to why Yami had dropped her hand. Yami wasn't and immediately started to hyperventilate in his head. This was not good. He hadn't even thought about Joey when he accepted the date. How could he be so selfish? And by the look on Joey's face, he wasn't taking it well. Yami wished above all else that he could curl up and shrink until no one could see him anymore.  
  
Joey just started walking and left the shop after saying his goodbye.  
  
"I just remembered, my shows are on tonight. I'll see you all later."  
  
Yugi and Yami watched him leave and it was their turn to be devastated. Mai just looked around, a pained expression on her face.  
  
"What just happened?"  
****  
That's the end of chapter 2...Joey caught em red-handed! Next chapter we will see how things work out. R&R! 


	3. When it rains, it pours

Okay, I finally updated! I'm sorry to everyone who was waiting...I really wanted to get this chapter out there...but unfortunately, homework exists. :-( Thanx very much for the reviews! I hope you like this chapter, there is a lot of deeper stuff, some of my own views on heartbrake and even an Nsync song. I'm very sorry to all of you who just cringed. But it fit!:-P And don't worry, Joey and Yami are still friends...for now. Muha!  
  
  
Next chapter should be fun to write. It may even have a hint of lime;-) So stick around and as always...R&R!  
  
  
Joey ran as fast as his feet could carry him, to the park. His body was protesting, sending pains in his side to slow him down but his mind kept him moving. The night had fully fallen, the black blanket of heaven and all it's white stars shining dimly above the teen's head, the crescent moon creating a pathway for him to follow.   
  
  
  
The park was shrouded in darkness. Finally coming to a jerking stop on the lush grass, he got his second wind and wound his way through a cluster of trees towards the duck pond, which was relatively clear. Breathing heavily, he leaned against the railing of the bridge which crossed over the water.   
  
  
  
'It hurts so much.' Joey clenched his eyes shut tightly and his fists balled up. The tears tried to squeeze through his lashes to no avail. He wouldn't cry. The feeling which he was experiencing wasn't sadness, where crying was necessary but it was something he couldn't explain. It felt as if he had swallowed a block of ice, whole, and it now rested heavily in the pit of his stomach, making his brain freeze up and making it hard to move without feeling it.   
  
  
  
'So this is what love does. Why do people bother to love?'  
  
  
  
  
The blonde's eyesite was blurry with crystaline tears but he looked down at the black pond below him, the moonlight glinting off it's mirror-like surface. One single tear fell from his eyes into the water, creating a small ripple which gently faded away.  
  
  
  
  
Joey felt it was sort of a sign. He only caused a slight ripple in Mai's heart, if one at all. He was just that one little tear, creating that one little disturbance. And the darkness, Yami, made the biggest disturbance of all. To Joey, and to Mai. He had awoken Mai's heart and hurt Joey's. But it wasn't his fault. He couldn't have known, thought the blonde, watching the ripple dissappear.   
  
  
  
  
Below, a small, dirt-colored fish- barely visible -swam under the bridge. A thought came into Joey's head and he almost had to laugh.  
  
  
  
"There are more fish in the sea."  
  
***  
  
Yami chattered continuously in ancient Egyptian, hands grasping locks of his own hair. He stomped around the shop, the guilty agony weighing him down, feeling that he had betrayed his friend. All that he had managed to purge out was a few jumbled sentences in his native language, which is what he usually used when he didn't want people to know what he was saying.  
  
  
  
"Yami! What's gotten in to you? What's wrong?!"  
  
  
  
  
Mai was irritated now, standing with hands on hips, looking directly at her new lover.   
  
  
  
  
Yugi hadn't said a word. His stomach was still knotted up and even if he couldn't understand his other, he knew he must feel terrible. Yugi had a similar feeling. He was so excited with the fact that Yami had gone out with Mai that he hadn't remembered anything about Joey.   
  
  
  
Trying to contact his darkness through their mental link, he found nothing but a barrage of emotions and compacted sentences. Yelling over the other's thoughts, he tried to get him to stop.  
  
  
  
//Slow down! Talk to me! Mai is gonna leave if you don't stop jabbering like a maniac. She doesn't know Egyptian and neither do I. I know you feel bad-(at this point the barrage of things coming from the link slowed to a stop and there was no interruptions so Yugi could "speak" normally) I know you feel bad-but so do I. We just have to talk to Joey.//  
  
  
  
  
//...//  
  
  
  
  
This silence continued for another minute and Yugi noticed that Yami had stopped shouting audibly in his native tongue. He was staring into space, obviously concentrating on what he had just heard through the link, rather than the world around him. Finally, he answered.  
  
  
  
"You're right. I'm sorry."  
  
  
  
"Who's right?" Mai's brows were knit together in confusion, frustration and annoyance. She had no idea why Yami had started hyperventilating, so to speak and also had no idea as to why he was talking to himself. He had clearly lost it.  
  
  
  
"Yugi is."  
  
  
  
  
"What did Yugi say?"  
  
  
  
  
"Something through our link. Mai, I'm so sorry. Please, listen, I'll explain later. I promise. But it would be best if you headed home. This could get messy."  
  
  
  
"I don't underst-"  
  
  
  
Yami cut her off midsentence by taking her hand and pressing it gently.   
  
  
  
"Please...I promise I'll explain later..."   
The Pharaoh's pleading eyes searched her violet one's and she saw that he really needed the night, for whatever was troubling him...  
  
  
Mai sighed.  
  
  
  
"Alright. Later."  
  
  
  
With that, Yami gave her a warm hug and she walked briskly out of the shop. [What a date.]  
  
  
***  
~ ~ ~  
You can call me selfish   
But all I want is your love  
You can call me hopeless (hopeless)  
Cause I'm hopelessly in love   
You can call me unperfect   
But who's perfect?   
Tell me what do I gotta do   
To prove that I'm the only one for you  
What's wrong with being selfish?  
  
I'll be taking up your time  
Until the day I make you realize  
That for your there could be no one else  
I just gotta have you for myself  
Baby I would take good care of you  
No matter what it is you're going through  
I'll be there for you when you're in need  
Baby believe in me  
If love was a crime  
Then punish me  
I would die for you  
Cause I don't want to live without you  
Oh what can I do?   
~ ~ ~  
  
Joey rested his head into the pillow and listened intently to his radio, which had just started playing a song which had come over from America. It was a slow song which was rather sad, and being in his melancholy state, it reminded him very much of his relationship with Mai.   
  
  
  
Ramming his hand down on the 'Off' button, he rolled back over. He didn't need to remember. He needed to move on. Closing his eyes he tried to think of what he would do tomorrow. For breakfast, he would have-  
  
Just then came a knock on the door.  
  
  
Joey looked up, his bangs falling into his eyes. "Who is it?"  
  
  
"Serenity. Someones here to see you."  
  
  
"Oh. Should I come downstairs?"  
  
  
"Yeah, he's waiting at the door."  
  
  
With a groan Joey urged his aching feet to move as he got up. [He? Oh no. Please don't tell me.]  
  
  
The blond padded across the royal blue carpet slowly and advanced towards the stairs. The material felt good between his bare toes. He had never noticed that before and it amused him a little. A slight smile played across his lips. [I guess it's all the little things that count...]   
Snapping out of it, he took the slick banister in his hand and headed groggily downstairs towards the door, too tired and too edgy to deal with this right now.  
  
**  
  
The Pharaoh shuffled uneasily at the doorway. A light rain had fallen and his shoulders were sprinkled with it. Noticing how cool it got, he shoved his hands into his pockets and watched his breath come out in little puffs of air in front of his face.  
  
Suddenly the door opened.  
  
Joey stood in front of him, dressed only in a pair of boxers and a blue t-shirt, his hair ruffled and his expression...bored.   
"Hey, what can I do for ya'?"  
  
A button on Yami's shirt sleeve suddenly became very interesting.   
"I, um, came by to apologize," he said, fiddling with it.  
  
"Really? For what?"  
  
[Ouch. He's gonna make me say it.]  
Yami cringed inwardly, took a breath and braced himself.  
  
"For...for not thinking of how our relationship might hurt you. I feel terrible. I knew you liked Mai and I was selfish to go behind your back."  
  
Joey looked surprised and shifted his weight uneasily.  
"Wow. I didn't think you'd say that much. Um..hey, listen. Why don't you come in?"  
  
Yami smiled weakly. "Alright."  
  
**  
  
Yugi flipped through his cards one by one, just like he had done everynight. It never got tiring.  
  
  
  
[Dark Magician, Swords of Revealing Light, the rest of my holofoils...no wonder shiny things amuse animals. I could stare at these for hours.]  
  
  
  
  
  
"You're lucky you have good cards. Mine are all dark and stuff. They scare everyone I play against."  
  
  
  
  
Ryou stood over Yugi, flipping through his deck as well. He had come to stay for the better part of the night with his Yami, who was appointed as the babysitter for Yugi and Ryou. Yugi still didn't know why his Yami had picked BAKURA, of ALL PEOPLE, (or spirits) to watch over him while he went to speak to Joey. Perhaps, no matter how much they fought, they were friends, deep down?  
  
  
  
[Nahhh.]   
  
  
  
  
Yugi was glad they were here though, only because he loved spending time with Ryou. They both had the same interests and Ryou wasn't rude to Yugi at all. Unlike Bakura.  
  
  
  
  
"Be lucky that you have all those dark cards, you baka. Duel Monsters isn't like hopscotch. You aren't meant to have fun, you're meant to win. It doesn't matter if we freak a couple of little kids out," Bakura scoffed, from the couch. He had been watching t.v. but it seemed that he was now interested in the lights' conversation.   
  
  
  
Ryou took a seat next to Yugi on the floor.   
"Sorry Yami. You're right." He frowned.  
  
  
  
Yugi looked at the melancholy Ryou in dismay but he knew that no matter how much Bakura ragged on his soul-partner, he cared for him. How could you not love the other part of yourself?  
  
  
  
Bakura went back to watching t.v., but every so often his chocolate eyes made their way back over to Ryou and Yugi, who compared cards on the floor next to him.   
  
  
  
  
"When is that idiot Pharaoh coming back? I have to sleep you know. Just because I'm a spirit doesn't mean I don't sleep."   
  
  
  
  
  
"I'm not sure, but I hope soon. I'm dying to know what happened. I feel bad..."   
Now it was Yugi's turn to frown.  
  
  
  
  
"You care too much." Bakura got up and stretched. He made his way over to the refridgerator and took out three sodas, handing one to each of the lights. Yugi thought it was funny how the spirit just took whatever he wanted out of Yugi's house. But there was no changing the white-haired tomb robber.  
  
  
  
"Joey and the Pharaoh will work everything out. These little tisks happen all through your life, you just gotta ride them out. Trust me, I know. I *AM* 5000 years old." Bakura plopped back down on the couch and propped his feet up on Yugi's coffee table with a smug look on his face.  
  
  
  
Yugi sighed. "I hope you're right."  
  
  
  
"I'm always right."  
  
  
The spirit turned his glance back to the television. Jeopardy was on and Alex Trebek had just asked what the ancient Egyptain symbol of life was. Bakura shot forward and started yelling at the contestants.  
  
  
"The ankh! The ankh!"  
  
  
-What is, the ankh?-  
-You are correct!-  
  
  
Bakura grinned broadly, his chocolate eyes flashing with delight. He turned to Yugi. "See? Always right."  
  
  
*~*~  
  
Two hours later, Yami arrived home, tired and a little soggy from the rain which had started up again. He and Joey had had a long talk, but as of now, he had no desire to discuss it. All he wanted was sleep. Not wanted. Craved. It was 12:00 sharp.  
  
  
  
"Well finally. Took your royal time."  
  
  
  
Yami had just walked in the door and was in the process of removing muddy boots when Bakura slinked into the kitchen, his brown eyes taking in the sight. With a half-smile he noted the fatigue in his adversary's eyes. Yami narrowed them.  
  
  
  
"I don't need this right now, ok? I just had you come over and watch Yugi because you're the second strongest in the group and he likes to duel Ryou. End of story. I had a very long night, which started well and ended badly. So thankyou, but you may go."  
  
  
  
Bakura hissed through his teeth. [The Pharaoh's in a bad mood. Maybe it's that time of month.] The tomb robber stifled a laugh at his own joke and then nodded towards the living room.  
  
  
  
"They're asleep, you may want to quiet down."  
  
  
  
Even though he didn't like to be told what to do, Yami shut up and trodded into the room where Yugi and Ryou lay sleeping. Yugi was curled on the couch, half covered by a blanket and Ryou had drifted off in an armchair, his cards all over his lap and the floor. The dark couldn't help but notice how cute his hikari looked when he slept, his mouth open just slightly and his bangs falling over his eyes. That made him smile just for a second, before he felt the tomb robber's presence behind him.  
  
  
Spinning around, he came eye to eye with the other spirit.  
  
  
  
"So, how's the chihuahua?" Bakura cocked his head slightly, which elicited a growl from the Pharaoh.  
  
  
  
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't call him that."  
  
  
  
"Okay...how about...dalmation?"  
  
  
  
Another growl.  
"It's none of your business."  
  
  
  
  
  
Bakura frowned. He really wanted to know what kind of mental anguish his rivals were in. "Just tell me. It's the least you can do-I had to watch the hikaris! What a handful."  
  
  
  
  
"Yeah, a real handfull," scoffed Yami. "They might "please" and "thankyou" you to death."  
  
  
  
The tomb robber smiled and then tried to regain his composure. Not quick enough. The Game King had seen the flicker of a smile.  
  
  
  
"So are you going to tell me?" asked Bakura, quickly directing the conversation back to where it belonged.   
  
  
  
"Will you leave me alone if I do?"   
  
  
  
"If you insist."  
  
  
  
"Fine. Kitchen. Now."  
  
*~*~*  
Yami ran the tip of his index finger along the rim of the mug. Then he brought the now-cold coffee to his lips and gingerly tasted it.  
  
  
  
  
Bitter. Just like the latter part of the night had been. Bitter cold.  
  
  
  
He stole a glance up at his "therapist" on the other end of the table, who was staring at a far wall. Bakura snapped back to reality and plastered on a skowl.  
  
  
  
  
They had talked about all the main points of Joey and Yami's "chat." Now Bakura shifted in his chair and ran a hand through his mop of snow white hair.  
  
  
  
"Alright Pharaoh, I think we've had our therapy for today. I'm going to take the twerp home and leave you in your misery."  
  
  
  
Without looking up, Yami nodded.  
  
  
  
  
"Thanks."  
  
  
  
  
"Huh?" Bakura was stunned. It was a genuine thankyou.  
  
  
  
  
"I said, Thanks for listening. And you'll never hear that again. So don't take it for granted."  
  
  
  
Bakura snorted and smiled slightly. He then walked into the living room and ruffly nudged Ryou until his eyes fluttered open and he drowsily got up.  
  
  
  
  
"Y-ya- what t-ime is-" Ryou interrupted his own sentence with a silent yawn. Then he sluggishly got to his feet and moved according to his Yami's pokes, who lead him like a shepard leads his flock.   
  
  
  
"Let's go, baka. You can sleep when we get home. Now's time for walking."  
  
  
  
  
Ryou yawned again and left through the door. Bakura followed him and with one final smirk, left Yami alone with his hikari.  
  
  
  
  
The Pharaoh made his way back to Yugi with a sigh, and picked him up by placing one arm under his legs and the other under his back. The stairs creaked in protest as the Game King brought his hikari up to their room and continued to get ready. Finally, he rested his tired head against the pillow next toYugi and flicked off the light, relishing the feeling of a soft mattress beneath him and the darkness surrounding him.   
  
  
  
He remembered suddenly the final words Joey had said to him before he had left his house. The whole conversation had been relatively uncomfortable and opened wounds in Joey which he hoped to close, but the two had grown a little bit closer. Joey wanted Yami to be happy. He wanted Mai to be happy. It was destiny that they should be together. But there was one thing that Joey would never allow Yami to do.  
  
  
  
-We're friends, Yami. No matter what. Nothing like this could ever break our friendship. But never hurt her, Yami. If you ever hurt her, that's when things could change.-  
  
  
  
**~*~*~   
Yami-Was that a threat?  
  
Joey-The authoress made me do it! I swear!  
  
Well that's it! Stay tuned for the next chappie! 


	4. Thunder Storm

Hey! As always...the delay was caused by homework- but I have been working on this fic a lot more than my others only because I actually know what's going to *happen* in this one. I have a little bit of an idea in the other fics but bear with me. The next one that gets attention is "Who Says-" and then "Egyptian Soul." Sorry for everyone waiting! I heart you all! Anyway...here is chapter 4- I wrote it instead of doing my homework:-D Go me!   
-Notes-  
-In this chappie I mention Ryou's house- I don't know what it looks like so it's all made up  
-Egyptian stuff is also mentioned- all is made up except the names of the Gods  
  
R&R and Enjoy!  
  
*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*  
  
  
The sky was menacing. Yami and Mai raced through the wet streets-laughing but quite out of breath-towards the Game Shop. A wild crack of thunder over their head made them both jump as they put on extra speed to reach the building. A glittering streak of lightning (threatening to turn them both into sizzling masses) roared in their ears as Yami flung the door open and they both jumped inside.  
  
  
They fell against the counter and continued to breath heavily. The couple had run from the park when the rain had started but they hadn't counted on the storm progressing so quickly.   
  
  
[I guess that's why I should learn to watch this "Weather Channel" Yugi keeps talking about,] thought Yami, as he mopped the water off his face. Mai breathed heavily for a few more seconds before reaching to fix her hair, which had curled immensely due to the downpour and looked as if it hadn't been brushed for years.  
  
  
Before she could attempt at detangling it, Yami had grabbed her hand and whisked her quickly upstairs, where they wrapped themselves in blankets and sat across from eachother on the bed, slowly gaining warmth.  
  
**  
  
  
Yugi was freezing. He walked quickly, squinting his eyes against the driving rain, wearing only his uniform and a flimsy jacket which offered little warmth. He had missed the bus. What a perfect day to miss the bus.  
  
  
Not only was the rain slowly leaking through his jacket but the lightning was giving him a heart-attack everytime it crackled. The Game Shop was too far away. He'd have to settle for something else. Whose house was near here? The weather was bad enough to scare his Yami-and that was saying something. His Yami. Nowadays, he was different...yet happy. Mai was everything to him. But had he forgotten about Yugi?  
  
  
The hikari sighed and kept walking quickly. He knew whose house he was near. Ryou's. He could go to Ryou's until the storm passed and then walk the rest of the way home. Maybe Bakura was feeling generous and he could drive Yugi to the Game Shop. That is, if Ryou let him. The last time the deranged tomb robber got behind the wheel, he didn't come back for a day. Said he was taking some "down time."   
  
  
[Last time I heard, downtime doesn't include getting multiple speeding tickets and nearly bowling over three old ladies. How do I know all this happened? Bakura loves to brag.]  
  
  
The tri-haired teen smiled grimly to himself, jumping at the lightning which had just pulled him back to reality and looked both ways before crossing the gray street which would lead him to Ryou's house.   
  
  
He saw his reflection distorted in a giant, muddy puddle of rain and kept walking, choosing to ignore it. Lately, he had had a lot of time to "reflect." It was rather boring about the Game Shop now. Yami never dueled him anymore because he spent his time with Mai. ALL of his time. Yugi missed his dark half but he knew he was happy. That was all that mattered, so it didn't bother Yugi as much as it could have.   
  
  
The thing that bothered Yugi, was Kenka. That brute. Kenka was one of the upper classman in Domino High and had taken a special liking to Yugi. The kind of liking that exists in a bully/target relationship. At least once a day, Kenka threatened Yugi, for no apparent reason. The short teen didn't even know how Kenka had learned of his existence. They had never exchanged a word before this year. He had just started to pick on him one day and never ceased. Yugi sighed again. He'd tell Yami tonight.  
  
  
[Wow, I walk faster when I'm thinking.]  
The Puzzle keeper found himself outside Ryou's house. He would be glad to get inside and get dry.  
  
**  
"Truth or dare."  
  
  
"Truth."  
  
  
Mai smiled and bit on her bottom lip thoughtfully as she tried to think up a question for the Game King. The power had gone out thirty minutes before and they were sitting on the bed near the window. Mai had suggested playing it instead of doing their usual "activities," which included kissing until they were out of breath and doing everything that happy couples do.   
  
  
[Got one.] Mai grinned and Yami quirked a brow at her, returning the smile with a hint of confusion behind it.  
  
  
"When you were a Pharaoh, what was your favorite thing to do?"  
  
  
[I know what she's expecting me to say. Make whoopi to every gorgeous Egyptian princess who comes along. Well, surprise surprise. That was my SECOND favorite thing to do.]  
  
  
"Well, believe it or not-" A sudden crack of lightning interrupted his answer. Mai jumped and shifted a little bit closer to Yami, to his delight.  
  
  
  
"Before that thunder rudely interrupted," smiled Yami, "I was saying that my favorite thing to do on my free time was to ride horses."  
  
  
"Ride horses?! Tell me more about it."  
  
  
Yami had her hooked. Mai was very curious, when he got into his old life. There was a lot to tell but not all would be said. Even for Mai.  
  
  
"Alright, I guess I can tell you a little about it. My favorite horse was named Desert Rose, he was a beautiful brown Arabian stallion which I had bought off a horse trader in Giza. Everyday I rode him out into the desert and just galloped until my eyes stung from the sand and he was too tired to run any more. It felt good, just being free from everything, even if the sun *was* extremely hot and there was always a chance of being jumped by a caravan of thieves. But still, it was a release. You know?"  
  
  
Mai nodded, her eyes glittering.  
  
  
[Wow. I never knew guys liked riding horses. Especially my dark and handsome Yami. I can't say he's *Tall* dark and handsome. Just dark and handsome. But still good. Very good.]  
  
  
The blonde inched a little bit closer to her Pharaoh. He narrowed his eyes mischievously and smirked.  
  
  
"Now you. Truth or dare?"  
  
  
  
"Hmm. Dare."  
  
  
  
"I dare you to kiss me."  
  
  
  
[I can DEFINATELY complete *this* dare.]  
  
  
  
Mai shed the blanket and took hold of him, lightly touching her lips to his. He gave her the "puppy face," (to which she was a horrible sucker to) and she returned to him willingly, kissing him over and over again. As they broke away, Yami touched his forehead to hers. Suddenly, the lights turned back on.  
  
  
  
"Powers back," he stated blandly.  
  
  
  
"I know." Mai reached over and flicked of the lamp. "Doesn't mean we need it."  
  
  
  
**  
  
  
DING-DONG.  
  
  
Yugi heard hurried footsteps and then a muffled yell as the door burst open. He gasped at the site before him, then tried not to laugh. Bakura stood in a fluffy white towel, toothbrush hanging out of the corner of his mouth and sopping wet hair matted to his face. Yugi figured that he had just emerged from the shower because he smelled faintly of coconut, or something fruity. Ryou stood behind him, peeping over his shoulder. He immediately started to smile when he saw his friend and tried to push past his Yami, who held out an arm.  
  
  
"Yami- let him in! It's raining!"  
  
  
Bakura looked over his shoulder with a bored expression on his face and then turned back to Yugi.  
  
  
"We're not buying girl scout cookies today."  
  
  
Yugi shifted uneasily and then looked towards Ryou, who was prying his Yami's fingers off the door frame.  
  
  
"That's not funny! Let-him-in! Please Yami?"  
  
  
The tomb robber narrowed his brown eyes and then shrugged. Shifting the toothbrush to the other side of his mouth he walked away into the darkness of the house.  
  
  
"Sorry about that," muttered a flustered Ryou, as he ushered Yugi inside.  
  
  
"There's power!? I woulda' thought it was out."  
  
  
"It came on just a few minutes ago. I can't believe my Yami took a shower during a lightning storm."  
  
  
"Well, he probably just figures that if he was struck by lightning it wouldn't kill him anyway, so why not?"  
  
  
Ryou laughed and then excused himself. Yugi looked around. He was standing in the hallway, carpeted in royal blue, and could see clearly into a little living room and the kitchen. On the table was a box of Cheerios, two candles and a neat little stack of Duel Monsters Cards. A few of the cabinets were open and Yugi looked apon the snacks hungrily as he waited for Ryou to come back. Normally, he would never bother his hosts for food but he was really hungry.   
  
  
Suddenly, a voice behind him made him jump.  
  
  
"Heh. You take after the Pharaoh. Too flighty."  
  
  
Yugi turned slowly to see Bakura, now dressed and standing in front of him, his hip tipped out just a little and his facial expression proving that he was the cockiest thing ever to walk the earth. The hikari smiled weakly and shivered involuntarily. He was still cold and his clothes weren't helping. Bakura's smile dimmed a little and then returned.   
  
"Cold huh? Don't you worry you're little tri-colored head about it. Ryou probably went to find something warm, knowing him. He cares too much too." The white-haired Yami flicked his bangs out of his eyes and then looked over the shorter teen's head to the open cabinets.  
  
  
"Hungry?"  
  
  
"Well...yes."  
  
  
"Tough."  
  
  
Yugi's eyes widened a little before a smug look came over Bakura's face.  
  
  
"Lighten up. I'm not *that* cold-hearted. Everyone deserves a little chocolate."  
  
  
With that, the tomb robber walked past Yugi and fished out a candy bar from the cabinet, handing it to him. It took Yugi a second to register that Bakura had done a good deed. He should probably call the exorcist to get whatever demon that was inhabiting Bakura out. This was just unheard of.  
  
  
"Uhh, thanks! This isn't stolen, is it?"   
  
  
Bakura scoffed. "Ha-ha. So tell me? How's the Pharaoh and his lady-friend? Not that I care. I'm just a nosy bastard."  
  
  
[Had to ruin perfectly good chocolate by bringing *that* up. Wait. I'm happy   
for them. *Happy.*]  
  
  
"They're good," Yugi said tiredly.  
  
  
Bakura quirked an eyebrow.   
  
  
"Really now."  
  
  
"Yeah."  
[Ryou, where are you?]  
  
  
  
"And how are *you?*" Bakura smirked. [This kid's hiding something. But of *course* he'll say he's just fine. Well, the day I buy *that* is the day I stop stealing and join some kind of support group for it.]  
  
  
"Uh, I'm-"  
  
  
"Okay I found some extra stuff you can wear!"  
  
  
Ryou came bounding down the stairs with an armful of clothes and smiled at Yugi.   
[Saved.]  
  
  
Bakura put on his most menacing skowl and then shoved past Ryou to watch t.v. in the living room. [Damn. Almost got it out of him. Stupid hikari.]  
  
  
As soon as he was gone, Ryou turned back to Yugi.  
  
  
"He wasn't bugging you...was he?"  
  
  
"Not at all."   
  
  
"Good. Hey, where'd you get the candy bar?"  
  
  
****  
  
  
Mai traced her finger on Yami's back, following the curving lines of the picture which was there. It was a tattoo, all in black, which depicted an Egyptian crest. The crest was actually an image of Horus, whose wings splayed across the Pharaoh's shoulder blades and whose head was peering down. The heads of two falcons looked out from either side of Horus's head and a few Egyptian hieroglyphs were shown on the wings.   
  
  
"I don't like many tattoos but I love this one." Mai gazed down on her handsome Yami, whose tan arms rippled as hidden muscles worked to flip him onto his back.   
  
  
When he could look her in the face, he grinned.  
  
  
"You like it, huh? Well it hurt like hell."  
  
  
Mai laughed. "What do the letters mean?"  
  
  
"'With wings of golden fire and eyes of Sun and Moon, Horus guardian watches   
over Egypt forever more.'" Yami paused, noting Mai's awed expression. "The two falcon heads are looking west and east and Horus watches all. That's what they told me, anyway."  
  
  
The blonde smiled, running a hand down the Pharaoh's cheek and then playing with his hair. He was so...perfect. [I've got to watch myself. I'm getting really attached.] Mai remembered the last time she got really attached. Almost to the point of love. Had she really ever *loved?* [Whatever I feel now must be close to it.] Yami kissed her hand and she looked into his crimson eyes. [He'd never hurt me.]  
  
  
  
After a few minutes the Pharaoh sat up against the head board and gazed around. It was now completely dark.   
  
  
"I wonder where Yugi is? He should be home from school by now."  
  
  
"Well, we shut the door. He wouldn't have come in."  
  
  
"You're right. I'll go check downstairs."   
  
  
The Game King, who had donned a pair of sweat pants earlier, went to find Yugi. Five minutes later he came back with a worried look on his face.  
  
  
"Uh, he's not home. Could he have gone over anyone's house?"  
  
  
"He's a smart kid, that's probably what he did. Maybe he missed the bus or something. What a bad day to miss the bus."  
  
  
Yami looked at the floor.  
  
  
"I'll go call Joey."  
***  
  
  
  
Yugi threw down the Dark Magician.   
  
  
"No! You always beat me with that. Always." Ryou frowned and stared down at his hand. [Oh well, I tried.]  
  
  
"Sorry Ryou, you're just gonna have to get better to beat *me,* the almighty Yugi."  
Grinning, the shorter teen gathered up his cards and took another bite of the chocolate bar, which he *still* hadn't finished. He had been here a while, too. [I should probably call home.]  
  
  
As if some celestial being had read Yugi's mind, the phone rang. Both hikaris listened as Bakura gruffly answered it from the other room.   
  
  
"Hello? Oh. It's *you.*"  
  
  
Yugi smiled mischievously. "Must be my Yami."  
  
  
Ryou got up and gently took the phone off the receiver. The two hikaris stifled   
their laughter as they eaves-dropped on the conversation.   
  
  
-Listen Tomb Robber. Just tell me if Yugi is there or not.-  
  
  
-Mr. High and Mighty, you called me. So be polite.-  
  
  
-....okay...how's this...*please* tell me if Yugi is there or not, before I send my shadow magic through the receiver and fry you like a Thanksgiving turkey.-  
  
  
Bakura laughed.  
  
  
-That's more like it. Yes, he's here. What a good Yami *you* are, leaving him out in the cold.-  
  
  
-At least I never beat mine. Now put him on.-  
  
  
The smile was whiped quickly off his face.  
  
  
-Fine.-  
  
  
"YUGI! Your idiot Yami is on the phone!"  
  
  
The two hikaris, now deaf, giggled a little bit before hanging the phone back up. Then, the tri-colored light walked into the living room and took the phone from the sardonic Tomb Robber.  
  
  
-Hello?-  
  
  
-Yugi! I've been calling everyone! Why didn't you call?-  
  
  
-I-um...just got over here. I had to wait at school until it stopped raining and then I made a break for it.-  
  
  
-Oh. I was worried about you.-  
  
  
Yugi felt a pang of conscience. He probably *should* have called him.   
  
  
-I'm sorry Yami.-  
  
  
-Don't be. Should I come pick you up?-  
  
  
-If you want. Ryou and I were just dueling.-  
  
  
-Well, Mai's over, so I was thinking of going out to get some dinner. Don't feel like cooking. You know what happened the last time I tried *that.*-  
  
  
-Yeah.- Yugi laughed but really didn't feel all that happy. If they went out to dinner than they probably wouldn't be home for a few hours.  
  
  
-So do you mind just staying there?-  
  
  
-No, it's no problem. When it gets late I'll just walk home.-  
  
  
-Thanks aibou. Be careful. I'll leave the door unlocked.-  
  
  
-Bye.-  
  
  
*Click*  
  
  
Bakura snatched the phone away from Yugi and placed it back on the charger.  
  
  
"Are you staying longer?"  
  
  
"If you don't mind."  
  
  
"No, just don't make a mess. Ryou will have to clean it all."  
  
  
"Okay."  
  
  
Yugi walked back into the kitchen and took his seat across from Ryou again.   
[Why do I suddenly feel second-best?]  
  
------  
That's all folks:-P I have no idea when I can get the next chapter up but just keep checkin in! Thanks  
  
P.S.- Can anyone guess what the name "Kenka" means? 


	5. Blue Lightning

Well, I know I made you wait WAY TOO LONG (sorry!) but here is the next chapter. It is now 10:30 on a school night and I should be in bed so there was not much time to proofread. Please excuse spelling errors, grammar errors or rushing...I wrote this between midterms. (ugh) I'm sure a lot of you feel my pain about those!!:-P But anyway, in this chapter there is a little more character development and some relationships between characters strengthen. *Not just Mai and Yami* ....Read, review, and enjoy!:-D  
*****  
  
"Come on, come on! The sooner we get home, the faster we can be at the mall...and you know what that means!!"  
  
  
Yugi ran alongside Ryou (desite his difficulty at matching the other teen's long strides) as fast as he could. Afterall, who wouldnt when one of your best friend's Yamis had just promised to take both of you to the mall to buy the new set of booster packs (not avaliable in the gameshop)?   
  
"I'm-trying....slow down!"  
  
  
"We're almost home, don't worry." Ryou turned his head slightly to see Yugi a few paces behind and smiled. "I'll race you to the door!"  
  
  
"I thought this *was* racing!!"  
  
  
"Nope! This is just running. Now come on!"  
  
  
With those last words, Ryou gathered his strength and in a burst of energy, shot far away from Yugi towards his house at the end of the street.  
  
  
"I HAVE SMALL LEGS! IT'S NOT FAIR!" Yugi half-laughed, half-shouted, completely out of breath. [Of course, if Yami were here, Ryou would be eating our dust. Just a little switch and the leg-length problem is solved. Then again...Yami's *not* here so I'll just have to get faster.]  
  
  
With that, Yugi felt his second wind coming on and followed Ryou as fast as his little legs would carry him.  
***  
  
  
"Shut up! You are *such* a liar!"  
  
  
"I'm not lying! I swear. Look at this face, would I lie?" Yami smiled mischevously as Mai regarded him with a sly look from her seat at the scoring board.   
  
  
"Fine, fine...so you got 10 pins down. That *still* doesn't mean that you win. I could catch up."  
  
  
"Sure, if you bowl a strike every round."  
  
  
"You're such a brat!" Mai retorted, laughing slightly. Yami had been taunting her all morning long.  
  
  
"Well, you're a tease."  
  
  
"Flirt!"  
  
  
"Loser-at-bowling."  
  
  
"Old granny!"  
  
  
"Loser-at-poker."  
  
  
"Liar!"  
  
  
"Loser-at-minigolf."  
  
  
"Errrrr...just bowl, you tricolored clutz."  
  
  
"Clutz!? You must have forgotten who tripped over the power chord for the tv when we were watching that movie."  
  
  
Mai drew in a breath, laid back in her chair, crossed her arms and bit her lip, accepting defeat.  
  
  
"That's what I thought." Sticking his nose purposefully in the air, Yami turned around, drew back his arm and let the bowling ball fly right at the lined-up pins, scoring a perfect strike.  
  
  
Under her breath, Mai muttered, "Showoff."  
****  
  
  
"Yami! Yami?"  
  
  
"I'm upstairs!"   
  
  
Ryou and Yugi had just entered the house and had completely scoured it for Bakura before they had finally gotten the sense to just yell out his name and hope that he answered.  
  
  
The white-haired Hikari made his way for the stairs but stopped half-way up as Bakura started to walk down from the top floor, looking completely groggy, wearing nothing but a pair of green boxers. Yugi nearly laughed but held it in. [At least he's not in a towel. It seems like every time I come over he's half naked. And, I come over a lot.] Yugi loved visiting Ryou; the other teen just had an inviting quality about him that made him very easy to talk to. In fact, Ryou was quickly becoming Yugi's best friend and his house was becoming Yugi's second home.  
  
  
"What do you *want?* I was sleeping!"   
  
  
The half-dead Tomb Robber leisurly made his way down the stairs, roughly pushing Ryou aside and shuffling into the kitchen. Ryou followed like a puppy, practically jumping at his heels.  
  
  
"You told me and Yugi that you were gonna take us out to the mall!"  
  
  
"Yugi and *I.*"  
  
  
Ryou frowned.   
  
  
"Okay, well, you told Yugi and *I* that you were gonna take us to the mall!"  
  
  
"Did I? Must have slipped my mind between the time I got wasted and passed out."  
  
  
"You went *drinking!?* When!?" Ryou's brows knitted together in both anger and concern.  
  
  
"Oh, calm down, I went last night when you were sleeping. Didn't you notice that I wasn't here in the morning? And I didn't really pass out. I just sorta fell down. And I was safe. There was a designated driver. Went with...what's-his-name, oh right...Malik."  
  
  
"MALIK!?" shouted both Yugi and Ryou in unison, eyes wide in incomprehension and disbelief. "Well, his Yami, to be more precise."   
  
  
"Where is he now?" asked Ryou, his chocolate eyes darting around the corners of the house.  
  
  
"Calm down, you little twerp, he never even came home with me. We just went drinking, to catch up on *old* times. Now leave me alone so I can get something healthy in my stomach."  
  
  
Rummaging noisily through the cabinet, Bakura drew out a bag of chips and sat down at the kitchen table to eat.  
  
  
"Well, are we still going to the mall?" Ryou stood stubbornly by, hands on hips. Of course, he wasn't as confident* inside* as he looked outside. There would always be that underlying fear of his powerful Yami, no matter how close they got. But lately, Bakura had grown a lot more lenient and didn't get as mad when Ryou talked back. Perhaps, it was because of Yugi.   
  
  
"Yeah, yeah get ready."  
  
  
"Yes!!!" With that, both hikaris completely forgot that Bakura had ever gone drinking and went kareening upstairs to change out of their school clothes.  
  
***  
Bowling didn't last after Yami won his third consecutive game and soon the couple had migrated to the center of town where a guest band was playing in the square. Mai and Yami had been out all day, Yami spending dollar after dollar since 10 in the morning when he had met up with Mai at a small restaurant for brunch. Soon they had departed to the park to take a walk around and buy a quick lunch of rice and seafood and after that it was all bowling. Now, at the nearing of dusk, they sat together on the rough benches in the center of Domino.   
  
  
"Good music, huh?" Mai spoke without moving, her head gently rested on his shoulder.   
  
  
"Mmmhmm." The Game King was quite content to stay where he was as well.  
  
  
"Thanks for taking me out, Yami. I haven't been this busy in...I don't even know how long."  
  
  
"Well I'll take you out as often as you like. As long as I have the money, or as long as I'm aquainted with a rich CEO." He smiled warmly, kissing the back of her hand.  
  
  
Mai smiled as well, her eyelids drooping. [Wow, I never knew I could be this tired from just walking. Then again, I had to keep up with his little comments all day and think of good insults...]  
  
  
The steady and quiet beat of the percussion in the band added to the peacefulness of the sunset and Mai felt her eyes close, the warmth of the oncoming night settling over her. The Pharaoh also felt the night but his eyes were open and his arm was wrapped around the small frame next to him in a protective manner.   
  
  
"Should we go home?" his voice jarred her out of sleep and she yawned slightly, turning her face up to him.  
  
  
"If you insist."  
  
  
"I don't insist, I'll only go if you want to."  
  
  
"Well I'll go. Can't be falling asleep in the middle of the city...anything could happen."  
  
  
"Oh yeah, Domino is *so* dangerous. Some deranged hobo might attack at any minute."  
  
  
Mai laughed and cuddled a little closer to the Pharaoh's side.  
  
  
"Oh be quiet. Domino isn't all that safe and you know it. Look at everything that has happened here...in such a short time!"  
  
  
"I suppose."  
  
  
Suddenly, a thought donned on Mai that had been in the back of her mind for sometime but hadn't surfaced until now.  
  
  
"Yami, where's Yugi? You didn't leave him home alone, did you?"  
  
  
"No, no...he goes to Ryou's after school now."  
  
  
"Is he going to sleep over? It's getting late."  
  
  
"Sometimes he does. I'm not sure. If he can't, he usually just let's himself into the house when I'm not there."  
  
  
"Aren't you worried?"  
  
  
"What could happen?" He spoke reassuringly, kissing her hand again. Standing up sluggishly, he stretched and then helped his lover to her feet.  
  
  
"Plus, he's with Bakura. As much as I hate to admit it, he's nearly as powerful as me and could always protect Yugi."  
  
  
[That's unlike him. He's never trusted Yugi with anyone before...] Mai hesitated for a second, debating whether or not to question this new development, before deciding to just tease him instead.   
  
  
"Wow, I never thought I'd hear *that* come out of you."  
  
  
Yami scratched the back of his head. "Neither did I..."  
  
  
"Maybe you're becoming friends." Mai smiled keenly and watched the Pharaoh's expression turn from a smile into one of pure horror.  
  
  
"Friends?! Never. If we were friends I wouldn't be able to argue with him or send him to the shadow realm."  
  
  
The blonde laughed and took his hand.  
  
  
"Alright…let's go home."  
  
  
**  
"This one....no, this one...*this* one will have the holofoil in it." Ryou's hand had been hovering over the box of boosters for five minutes before he finally drew a pack that he liked. Yugi had already picked out three and was waiting for Ryou to buy his so he could open them. In a vain attempt to take his mind off the cards he went looking around the rest of the store, gazing hungrily at the rare cards behind glass that were worth more then his entire life savings. Finally, the white-haired teen came running over with his packs and they both left the store, only to find Bakura arrogantly leaning against the banister which overlooked the bottom floor.   
  
  
"Finally."  
  
  
"Sorry Yami, there were so many to choose from!"  
  
  
"You better have picked good ones, because if I see one more common card, or a farie, I'm not letting you buy anymore."  
  
  
"Well then you can pick the boosters next time!!"  
  
  
"I will. Maybe I can find some way to use my powers and scan what's inside."  
  
  
"That would be the day," Yugi mumbled, taking his packs out of the plastic bag. Opening the first one, he was thrilled to find a brand new super rare card. The second pack contained a rare and the last pack contained an ultra rare.  
  
  
"Hah! I knew I picked good ones. What did you get, Ryou?"  
  
  
Ryou's smile had turned into a frown and he looked sheepishly at his Yami. The look clearly stated, "please don't hurt me."  
  
  
"Eh, two rares and one super rare."  
  
  
"What's the super rare?" asked Bakura, dangerously.  
  
  
"The Celestial One."  
  
  
With a lethal glare, Bakura snatched up the card and then handed it back with a snort.   
  
  
"A farie. I am *definately* picking the packs next time."   
  
  
  
  
The three of them then continued on down the mall, passing multiple clothes stores which were purposefully avoided. According to Bakura, clothes shopping was more of a 'women's hobby,' and scolded Ryou for admiring a black turtleneck sweater in one of the shop windows.  
  
  
Finally, one of the shops interested Bakura and he stopped power-walking to get a closer look. It was a hunting accessories store covered from wall to wall in long hunting knives with gleaming edges and many types of traps and poisons. The tomb robber's eyes lit up immediately.  
  
  
"Okay, we're splitting up. Go look at whatever you want, but I'm going to stay here for now." With that, he walked into the store, shoving past two burly men on the way and leaving the hikaris behind.   
  
  
"How did I know he was going to stop in there?" asked Ryou, as he watched his yami inspect a long, engraved knife. Then he turned to Yugi. "Do you mind if I go check out the price on that sweater that we passed?"  
  
  
Yugi laughed. "Not at all. I'll just go look around somewhere else."  
  
  
Ryou smiled and disappeared around the corner. That left Yugi standing by himself, free to go where he pleased. He started to walk in no particular direction past the hunting store, following many twists and turns until he came to the food court. With no money left, it was pointless to stay there, so he turned back around, only to come face to face with someone who was very unwelcome.  
  
  
Kenka looked down at him menacingly, the hands at his sides instantly balling into fists.  
  
  
"What a surprise to see you here, Little Yugi."  
  
  
Yugi swallowed hard and glared back up at him.  
  
  
"Kenka."  
  
  
This teen was not the stereotypical bully. He did not have overly large arms, low intelliagence or a caveman demeanor. In fact, he was quite the opposite. Kenka was of middle height and rather lanky; electric blue streaks adorned a spiked head (not nearly as tall as Yugi's) and his face reflected nothing but sheer ambition, spite and steely cold. He always knew just what to say to make Yugi want to run and had a powerful body to back up his words if they didn't work. In the hikari's eyes, his personality was quite like the old Seto Kaiba.  
  
  
"It really is a surprise to see you here of all places. Why would the mall interest such a smart, young man like yourself? Shouldn't you be home studying…or playing games? It seems that's all you ever do."  
  
  
Sniggering broke out from behind Kenka, and Yugi noticed two of the instigator's friends standing nearby. They were more of the stereotypical bully, with bigger frames and smaller minds than their ringleader.  
  
  
"I just came here to look around. What do you want, anyway?"  
"Want?" Kenka asked with a slight lilt in his voice. "Nothing, Yugi, just the pleasure of your company."  
  
  
The small hikari frowned and took a step back. He just needed to endure their sneering comments for a little longer and then he could go. In school they usually just insulted him and roughed him up a little before they got tired of it and left, so hopefully it would be the same way here.  
  
  
"Where do you think you're going?" asked Kenka, his eyes shining like the sun on the back of a serpant's scales. These eyes slowly drifted towards Yugi's Millenium Puzzle, which was the main cause of his tormenting. "I'm not done with you yet."  
Kenka was drawn to the puzzle and had always been planning to steal it away from Yugi when he had the chance. It must have been worth a fortune, for it seemed to be made of solid gold. He had no idea how Yugi could have come across it, but he wanted it all the same. In school there was never the right opportunity and it was too risky…but here he was free to do as he pleased.  
  
  
"Well I'm leaving. Leave me alone." Yugi turned on his heel and started to walk away and out of the food court, but Kenka and his men followed.   
  
  
"It's not that easy, Yugi." With this, Kenka sped forward and took Yugi up by the back of his jacket, pulling him forcefully into a narrow hallway of the court which was practically out of sight. It was the back entrance to the mall which was only used in case of firedrills. Therefore, it was usually empty.  
  
  
"Let go of me! What are you doing?!" shouted Yugi, struggling against the iron grip of his captor.  
  
  
"You have something I want."  
  
  
"What! What do I have?! Can't you just leave me alone?!"  
  
  
"No I'm afraid I can't." Kenka pushed Yugi away from him, sending him sprawling onto the floor. The Hikari tried to get up but Kenka placed a foot on his side, pinning him down.  
  
  
"Give me the puzzle."  
  
  
"What?"  
  
  
"The puzzle! That's what it is, isn't it? The gold pieces around your neck."  
  
  
Yugi turned his head to look up, seeing Kenka staring down and the goons behind him laughing.  
  
  
"I'm not giving it to you."  
  
  
"Yes, you are. Unless you want the beating of a lifetime."  
  
  
The bully pushed his boot harder into the hikari's ribs and Yugi felt panic rise up in his throat. Kenka had never behaved like this before. There were threats, but he had never actually hurt Yugi.  
  
  
"I'm still not giving it to you."  
  
  
"Fine. Then I'll take it by force."  
  
  
Kenka took his foot off of Yugi and hoisted him up by his shirt collar, pulling a fist back to hit him in the face. Yugi closed his eyes and braced himself but the blow never came. Suddenly, there were yells of surprise and he was viciously dropped to the ground as Kenka was ripped off of him by an invisible force which sent him flying backwards to hit the opposite wall with a grunt. His lackies scattered out of the hallway, yelling. Yugi turned around to see Bakura glaring down with narrowed eyes at the fallen Kenka.  
  
  
"I say that he keeps it, and YOU get the beating of a lifetime."  
  
  
The bully had had the wind knocked out of him so all he could do was gasp on the ground.  
  
  
"Bakura!" shouted Yugi with relief, running towards him.  
  
  
"What'd he do to you?" asked the tomb robber, never taking his eyes away from Kenka.  
  
  
"He tried to take the puzzle but you got here in time."  
  
  
"That's a lucky thing for him. If he had hurt you, I wouldn't of hesitated to kick the shit out of him."  
  
  
Kenka gritted his teeth and looked up darkly from the ground.   
  
  
"Who the hell are you, his bodyguard?"   
  
  
"Shut up. You don't deserve to talk. All you need to know, is that if you touch Yugi   
again, you'll regret it." Bakura kicked Kenka once more and then turned to go, Yugi following behind.   
*  
  
  
Mai watched the sleeping Yami intently, her fingers stroking his cheek while being excruciatingly careful not to wake him up. They had just finished a movie (which Yami had fallen asleep to) and were positioned on the couch rather comfortably; Mai sitting normally against the pillows on the couch and Yami with his head in her lap. Mai didn't have the faintest clue as to what the movie was about, for the whole time her amythest eyes were locked on her lover's face. Occasionally he turned his face up to look at her and smiled silently, before turning back to the movie. After thirty minutes the Pharaoh was fast asleep and the blonde had taken to playing with his hair and noticing all the little things about him which she loved so much. A new mantra had started to play itself like a broken record in her head; [Man I'm whipped.]  
  
  
In fact, the blonde was in her own little dreamworld when the car containing Bakura, Ryou and Yugi pulled up to the house. The slam of the car door pulled Mai from her half-slumber and her eyes snapped fully open as she turned slightly to look out the window. Yami awoke immediately as well, for he was a painfully light sleeper and was on his feet before two seconds had passed.  
  
  
There was a knock on the door and Mai went to open it, revealing two hikaris and a yami. Bakura had a scowl plastered on his face, Yugi seemed nervous and upset and Ryou was silent and worried.   
  
  
Yami, quickly sensing that something had happened, cast Bakura a glance which clearly stated 'kitchen, now.' The tomb robber understood and lead the way into the other room, while Mai went about asking questions to the hikaris.   
  
  
As soon as they were in the kitchen, Bakura's expression turned from a scowl to a look of disgust.  
  
  
"Look at you! Content at home while your Hikari is attacked."  
  
  
"Attacked?!" Yami's eyes widened and darted towards the other room, where Yugi sat with Mai.  
  
  
"Yes, attacked. It seems a bully has been picking on him. And this bully was at the mall."  
  
  
"Well, where were you?! Is he alright?"  
  
  
"He's fine, thanks to me. I let him go where he pleased and he managed to run into some wannabe-Malik. The kid tried to take the puzzle."  
  
  
Yami's brows knitted together and he gritted his teeth. "How dare he."  
  
  
"Don't worry, I don't think he'll be bothering Yugi for a while now but he did scare him a bit. I doubt Yugi will ever want to go back to school again."  
  
  
"Well, I'll talk to him tonight."  
  
  
"For a change."  
  
  
Yami narrowed his eyes. "What did you say?"  
  
  
"Nothing. I'm leaving."  
  
  
"Fine, and thankyou for-"  
  
  
"Whatever."  
  
  
Bakura didn't bother to say goodbye. Walking out of the kitchen, he took Ryou by his shirt sleeve and practically dragged him from the house. Yugi watched them drive away.  
  
  
  
***  
Next chapter...disaster strikes!!! Yami and Mai face their biggest challenge yet and Joey returns to the picture. Btw...Kenka means fight:-P Ja! 


End file.
